Check Out Mackenzie Marino’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mackenzie Marino.

Hi Mackenzie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. 
My name is Mackenzie Marino, and I am the creator and owner of MG Jewelry. Growing up, I have always had a creative spirit and loved expressing myself through art. During the lockdown from COVID-19 in 2020, I found myself in need of a hobby and a creative outlet, which is when I fell into the world of polymer clay. I started out making earrings for myself and friends, which later expanded into an Instagram page to show off my creations. As time went on, I adopted better jewelry-making techniques, and my social media following began to increase. I started out tabling at NC State University Sorority events, where I would sell some of my earrings to fellow students. I began participating in more sorority and campus events, which helped my business grow tremendously. 

While creating this small business, I was also in college at NC State University, studying industrial and systems engineering. To expand my learnings from lectures while also growing my business, I started to design 3D model clay cutters to use for earring making. I would create a unique shape on modeling software like Solidworks, then 3D print the earring cutter to use. This expanded my horizons for the complexity of earring shapes that I could make, and it helped me perfect my engineering skills along the way. I now have my own 3D printer, where I continue to design and print custom clay cutters. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My business path has remained stable over the last two years, which I am very thankful for. I am able to consistently participate in local Raleigh pop-up events, which has been a success for me. After graduating from college this past May, it has been difficult to find time to have ideation sessions for new earring styles/patterns, but as I am adjusting to my new-grad life, I have been trying to get better at balancing my time. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Apart from running my jewelry business, I work as a full-time Industrial Engineer at a start-up company in Raleigh called Simplifyber. Our company is creating “The Fashion of the Future” with a whole new way to manufacture soft goods. We are creating a sustainable approach to additive manufacturing by making footwear and clothing with fully bio-based material that eliminates waste material and decreases pollution and other emissions. I work in the Hardware department, where I focus on running R&D experiments to expand our process applications. This position has allowed me to use my engineering degree from NC State, as well as my creative side from my jewelry company. 

Any big plans?
This past month, I just opened up a Shopify account for my business, where I can sell products directly from my social media pages, which has been a complete game changer. In the future, I want to create a full website for my company that has all of my products, as well as some other fun attributes. I have been doing some larger Pop-up events recently, and I hope to continue to grow and participate in big events in Raleigh and surrounding areas. 

Further down the road, I would love to start selling custom 3D-printed clay cutters to other makers and artists. 

Pricing:

• Studs: $10-$12
• Small earrings:$12-$14
• Medium earrings $16
• Large earrings:$18+

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shopmgjewelry.myshopify.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/shopmg.jewelry?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==